Inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategies
Depression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity of epilepsy. While antiseizure medications (ASMs) can exacerbate depressive symptoms, depression itself may increase both the frequency and duration of epileptic seizures. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying epilepsy-depression comorbidi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1614297/full |
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| author | Yu-Qian Shi He-Cai Yang Cong He Yu-Hao Wang Jia Zheng Xing-Yi Wang Fang-Yi Hao Chu-Wen Feng Lin Ma Yue-Hui Zhang Zheng Liu |
| author_facet | Yu-Qian Shi He-Cai Yang Cong He Yu-Hao Wang Jia Zheng Xing-Yi Wang Fang-Yi Hao Chu-Wen Feng Lin Ma Yue-Hui Zhang Zheng Liu |
| author_sort | Yu-Qian Shi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Depression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity of epilepsy. While antiseizure medications (ASMs) can exacerbate depressive symptoms, depression itself may increase both the frequency and duration of epileptic seizures. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying epilepsy-depression comorbidity (EDC) involve neurotransmitter imbalance, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress (OS), gut microbiota dysbiosis, and neuroendocrine abnormalities. Recent studies highlight that inflammation contributes to EDC via multiple interconnected mechanisms, including glial cell activation, cytokine release, pyroptosis, and oxidative damage, ultimately leading to synaptic dysfunction and neuroimmune imbalance. Drawing from representative and recent evidence, this review summarizes the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis and progression of EDC. It also outlines current inflammation-targeted therapeutic strategies, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, antioxidants, herbal medicine, acupuncture, probiotic modulation, and precision therapies. This review provides a conceptual framework for understanding inflammation-mediated EDC and offers insights into targeted treatment approaches. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e9bdfabf88df4595b6e88c3496f60690 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-e9bdfabf88df4595b6e88c3496f606902025-08-20T03:30:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2025-06-011910.3389/fnins.2025.16142971614297Inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategiesYu-Qian Shi0He-Cai Yang1Cong He2Yu-Hao Wang3Jia Zheng4Xing-Yi Wang5Fang-Yi Hao6Chu-Wen Feng7Lin Ma8Yue-Hui Zhang9Zheng Liu10First Clinical Medical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaFirst Clinical Medical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaThe Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaFirst Clinical Medical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaFirst Clinical Medical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaFirst Clinical Medical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaFirst Clinical Medical College, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaThe First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaThe First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaThe First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaThe First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, ChinaDepression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity of epilepsy. While antiseizure medications (ASMs) can exacerbate depressive symptoms, depression itself may increase both the frequency and duration of epileptic seizures. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying epilepsy-depression comorbidity (EDC) involve neurotransmitter imbalance, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress (OS), gut microbiota dysbiosis, and neuroendocrine abnormalities. Recent studies highlight that inflammation contributes to EDC via multiple interconnected mechanisms, including glial cell activation, cytokine release, pyroptosis, and oxidative damage, ultimately leading to synaptic dysfunction and neuroimmune imbalance. Drawing from representative and recent evidence, this review summarizes the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis and progression of EDC. It also outlines current inflammation-targeted therapeutic strategies, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, antioxidants, herbal medicine, acupuncture, probiotic modulation, and precision therapies. This review provides a conceptual framework for understanding inflammation-mediated EDC and offers insights into targeted treatment approaches.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1614297/fullepilepsy-depression comorbidityneuroinflammationgut-brain axisnatural anti-inflammatory agentsaging-related inflammation |
| spellingShingle | Yu-Qian Shi He-Cai Yang Cong He Yu-Hao Wang Jia Zheng Xing-Yi Wang Fang-Yi Hao Chu-Wen Feng Lin Ma Yue-Hui Zhang Zheng Liu Inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategies Frontiers in Neuroscience epilepsy-depression comorbidity neuroinflammation gut-brain axis natural anti-inflammatory agents aging-related inflammation |
| title | Inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategies |
| title_full | Inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategies |
| title_fullStr | Inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategies |
| title_short | Inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategies |
| title_sort | inflammatory links between epilepsy and depression a review of mechanisms and therapeutic strategies |
| topic | epilepsy-depression comorbidity neuroinflammation gut-brain axis natural anti-inflammatory agents aging-related inflammation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1614297/full |
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